Satellite Reign is a real-time, class-based strategy game. You control a team of four agents, each with distinct and unique abilities, collectively battling for control of a fully simulated, living cyberpunk city.

The game world is designed to facilitate emergent gameplay, giving you the tools and freedom to play how you want to play, so you can create strategies and scenarios that not even we had anticipated!

Customise your team with the strength to destroy your enemies head-on, or hack into their facilities to manipulate their infrastructure without them ever knowing you were even there.

Will you take down your enemies with brute-force? Covert espionage and infiltration? Or will you use propaganda to influence the citizens of the city and overthrow the controlling powers?

Satellite Reign will be released on Windows, Mac OS and Linux.

The world's governments are controlled by mega-corporations, democracy to the highest bidder. Society is structured for the benefit of those in power. The poor exist in the dark squalid underbelly of the city, while the wealthy swim in opulence and luxury on the upper tiers, and the vast middle-class are too comfortable with their lives of convenience to see the world for what it really is. Corporate police patrol the streets, brutally maintaining the status quo, all under the guise of keeping the people safe.

The time for change is now, as a mysterious organisation rises from the slums of the city. They'll have to bribe, steal, hack and augment their way through the barriers between them and their ultimate goal...but what are they trying to achieve? To free the masses from the corporate stranglehold, or to take control for themselves? That, is up to you.

This is one big, open, living metropolis. The city isn't just a cool location (although it is pretty cool), it actually functions like a city; the streets are bustling with people by day, and controlled by criminal organisations by night. Power grids actually power the city, information and finances flow from one district to another, and you can use all of these things to your advantage.

The entire game-world is designed around emergent gameplay. Civilians, police and corporate soldiers will all react uniquely to your actions. Power conduits, communication networks and security systems are there for you to hijack, modify or destroy. Learn how the city and its inhabitants operate, then exploit them all to advance your agenda.

The city is huge and you can move around and tackle objectives however you want to. You won't be spoon-fed one mission after another, you'll be able to use whatever means you can to get to your final goal. Bribe scientists to advance your technologies, and kidnap doctors to augment your agents. Steal money from the banks to fund your war against the corporations, and exploit neural implants to bend the will of others. Or, try to take your objectives through good old-fashioned brute-force.

Distinct character classes give you total control over how you approach a situation. Different classes with different combinations of augmentations, gear and weapons gives you the ability to customise your team and your experience.

Not every problem is easily solved by shoving a gun in its face. Sometimes the situation requires a bit more subtlety, a bit more finesse. Try siphoning cash out of the corporate account, bribing a bank manager to “misplace” his security pass, or steal the identity of a corporate soldier to pass through security checkpoints unseen.

From our previous experience with the Unity Engine, we could look no further. Its flexibility, ease of use, and quick turnaround on development means less barriers between the creators and the creation.

Its robust scripting system and one click approach to deployment allows us to simultaneously develop releases for Windows, Linux and Mac.

5 Lives Studios is an independent developer.
Our core team consists of five dedicated industry professionals with many years of experience. Not only are we all industry veterans, but we also have a long history of working together, allowing us to make games like a well-oiled machine. Some of us have worked together for nearly a decade!
Collectively, we have worked on a wide range of genres and notable titles including the Syndicate series, GTA IV, Darksiders II, Star Wars, L.A. Noire, and many more.

Kickstarter is continually proving itself to be a utopia for creativity. It gives developers like us the chance to get back to our roots, so we can make the games we want to play. We’re free to explore and implement ideas without publishers demanding that we reshape our vision for broad, generic appeal.

And most importantly, it gives you the opportunity to have your say. You get the chance to bring back the types of games you loved. Not only that, but you're also in the unique position to give input on the actual development. This new age of developers and gamers being able to work together paints an exciting, bright future for the industry we all love.

We will be thrilled to meet our initial funding goal. Doing so will allow us to achieve our core vision for Satellite Reign, but should we be fortunate enough to exceed our target, every bit extra will go into expanding the experience even further. We've got loads of great ideas on how we can expand Satellite Reign, which we'll reveal as the campaign continues.

Our first stretch goal will allow us to bring on Russell Shaw, the composer from the original Syndicate series. He'll bring a truly authentic soundscape to the world of Satellite Reign.

Note: Currency Conversion Rates are an estimate based on exchange rates in June 2013. Final conversion rate may vary.

Backers who pledge for the "Transistor" tier or higher will receive an exclusive Kickstarter-only Satellite Reign t-shirt!

T-Shirt designs are not yet final, so feel free to tell us what you think!

"Bob" Miniature Figurine available in the "Bobbylicious" tier and above.

"CTO" backers who claim the right to design and name a weapon in the game will work closely with 5 Lives Studios to ensure proper balancing of the weapon within the overall structure of the game. The final results are subject to the approval of 5 Lives Studios.
All rewards that entitle the backer to naming an in-game character or item are subject to review and approval by 5 Lives Studios.

Risks and challenges

5 Lives Studios is a small team and our ambitions are high, but we have extensive experience delivering quality games with limited resources and in short time frames.

Our design is truly scalable. Our initial goal will allow us to produce a game which retains the core gameplay and design concepts without sacrificing the depth of the simulated city.

The structure of the simulation systems and design means minimal bespoke code and scripting of events. The simulation systems are fully modular and independently operating, while at the same time interlinking to build a complex and believable world. This allows us to build new systems and simulations which can easily slot into the core systems at any time without breaking the overall structure of the game and code.

We carry the same modularity across to our art pipeline. The environments are built with modular building blocks, which gives us the flexibility to iterate quickly, and allows for a large range of variety in the game world.

Together, based on our experience as individuals and as a team, we're confident that we will achieve our goals for Satellite Reign. Our initial funding goal will allow us to deliver a rewarding and engrossing gameplay experience which can be expanded in both depth and size if we are fortunate enough to exceed our immediate funding goal.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge £52 or more
About $66

USD $80* - TWO DISCS, ONE BOX - Early Bird

EARLY BIRD PRICE Limited-Edition Boxed Copy of Satellite Reign!

+ In Game Support team + Special thanks in the credits + Access to Beta + Downloadable Soundtrack + Digital Art Book + Digital copy of the game + Access to BACKER-ONLY Forum + Exclusive BACKER Wallpaper

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge £55 or more
About $70

USD $85* - TWO DISCS, ONE BOX

Limited-Edition Boxed Copy of Satellite Reign!

+ In Game Support team + Special thanks in the credits + Access to Beta + Downloadable Soundtrack + Digital Art Book + Digital copy of the game + Access to BACKER-ONLY Forum + Exclusive BACKER Wallpaper

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge £58 or more
About $73

USD $90* - TRANSISTOR

EARLY BIRD PRICE
Alpha Access + Exclusive Backer-Only T-Shirt + Extra Copy of the Game + Your Name in the Game as a Civillian NPC

+ In Game Support team
+ Special thanks in the credits
+ Access to Beta
+ Downloadable Soundtrack
+ Digital Art Book
+ Digital copy of the game
+ Access to BACKER-ONLY Forum
+ Exclusive BACKER Wallpaper

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge £60 or more
About $76

USD $90* - DIGITAL ONLY

Alpha Access + Extra Digital Copy of the Game + Your Name in the Game as a Civilian NPC

+ In Game Support team + Special thanks in the credits + Access to Beta + Downloadable Soundtrack + Digital Art Book + Digital copy of the game + Access to BACKER-ONLY Forum + Exclusive BACKER Wallpaper

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge £65 or more
About $82

USD $100* - RESISTOR

Alpha Access + Exclusive Backer-Only T-Shirt + Extra Copy of the Game + Your Name in the Game as a Civilian NPC

+ In Game Support team
+ Special thanks in the credits
+ Access to Beta
+ Downloadable Soundtrack
+ Digital Art Book
+ Digital copy of the game
+ Access to BACKER-ONLY Forum
+ Exclusive BACKER Wallpaper

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge £95 or more
About $120

USD $150* - CORPORATE AGENT

Elite Backer-Only Weapon Skin and Agent Skins

+ Alpha Access
+ T-Shirt + 2 copies of the Game + Your Name in the Game as a Civilian NPC + In Game Support team
+ Special thanks in the credits
+ Access to Beta + Downloadable Soundtrack + Digital Art Book + Access to BACKER-ONLY Forum + Exclusive BACKER Wallpaper

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge £160 or more
About $203

USD $250* - INFILTRATOR

Limited Edition Backer-Only Hoodie or Polo Shirt

+ Weapon Skin and Agent Skins
+ Alpha Access + T-Shirt + 2 copies of the Game + Your Name in the Game as a Civilian NPC + In Game Support team
+ Special thanks in the credits
+ Access to Beta + Downloadable Soundtrack + Digital Art Book + Access to BACKER-ONLY Forum + Exclusive BACKER Wallpaper

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge £200 or more
About $253

USD $300* - BOBBYLICIOUS

Exclusive "Bob" Miniature Figure

Limited Edition Backer-Only Hoodie or Polo Shirt + Weapon Skin and Agent Skins + Alpha Access + T-Shirt + 2 copies of the Game + Your Name in the Game as a Civilian NPC + In Game Support team + Special thanks in the credits + Access to Beta + Downloadable Soundtrack + Digital Art Book + Access to BACKER-ONLY Forum + Exclusive BACKER Wallpaper

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge £320 or more
About $405

USD $500* - ELITE AGENT

Hard Cover Version of "The Art of Satellite Reign" Book

+ Hoodie or Polo Shirt + Weapon Skin and Agent Skins + Alpha Access + T-Shirt + 2 copies of the Game + Your Name in the Game as a Civilian NPC + In Game Support team
+ Special thanks in the credits
+ Access to Beta + Downloadable Soundtrack + Digital Art Book + Access to BACKER-ONLY Forum + Exclusive BACKER Wallpaper

Pledge £490 or more
About $620

Hard Cover Version of "The Art of Satellite Reign" Book + Exclusive "Bob" Miniature Figure + Hoodie or Polo Shirt + Weapon Skin and Agent Skins + Alpha Access + T-Shirt + 2 copies of the Game (your choice of your second copy being physical boxed or digital) + Your Name in the Game as a Civilian NPC + In Game Support team + Special thanks in the credits + Access to Beta + Downloadable Soundtrack + Digital Art Book + Access to BACKER-ONLY Forum + Exclusive BACKER Wallpaper

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge £640 or more
About $810

USD $1000* - DIRECTOR

A SIGNED Hard Cover copy of "The Art of Satellite Reign" Book (Replaces the unsigned hard cover book) + Your Name and Likeness as a VIP NPC (Involved in a mission) in the Game (Replaces Your name as a civilian NPC)

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge £800 or more
About $1,013

USD $1250* - EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

A SIGNED Limited Edition Hard Cover copy of the Satellite Reign Novella by Russell Zimmerman + A SIGNED Hard Cover copy of "The Art of Satellite Reign" Book (Replaces the unsigned hard cover book) + Your Name and Likeness as a VIP NPC (Involved in a mission) in the Game (Replaces Your name as a civilian NPC)